Page sponsored by Texaco Caribbean Limited
Publication: Daily Nation
Paper Page:25A
Paper Date: Wed, Oct 24, 2001
Byline: Compiled by Terry Ally
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Page sponsored by Texaco Caribbean Limited |
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Tsunami 'watch' on for Virgin Islands
There has been a series of earthquakes affecting the British Virgin Islands in the last week and there is concern that these may generate a tsunami which would seriously affect the Virgin Islands as occurred on November 18, 1867, when two earthquakes struck within minutes of each other, triggering a tsunamis, causing loss of life.
"Although the possibility that a tsunami will be generated by the current series still exists, indications at the moment are that this is a standard foreshock/mainshock/aftershock sequence and that the main shock has passed," said the Seismic Research Unit (SRU) in Trinidad.
The SRU will be putting down seismometers in the Virgin Islands next week.
Last Tuesday, a strong earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter Scale occurred at 11:27 a.m. at a shallow depth, 110 kilometres north of the Virgin Islands. It was felt in the British Virgin Islands. The next day another one occurred at 7:29 am 50 kilometres northeast of the first one and the magnitude was slightly greater. The SRU did not give a measurement. Nine hours later, at 4:48 p.m., there was another earthquake measuring 4.0 in the same region. On Monday there were four more earthquakes north of the Virgin Islands occurring at 10:43 a.m., 11:29 a.m., 11:36 a.m., and 12:15 p.m. The earthquakes were in the magnitude range 4.5 to 5.0 which were much less than the first quake last week measuring 5.7. The epicentres were in the same region as the previous events.
The British and United States Virgin
Islands are located next to each other and situated to the west of the
Dominican Republic.
Businesses focus on climate change
Caribbean businesses will get a first-hand report of how climate change is expected to address the region and will be briefed on what they can do to cope with potential fallout. This will happen when the Adapting To Climate Change In The Caribbean (ACCC) holds its first major workshop, bringing together business and Government leaders in Barbados from December 11 to 13.
The ACCC is a new climate change project for the region building on the groundwork laid by CPACC. The workshop, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, will use techniques of risk management developed mainly for the business sector to respond to the issues presented by a changing climate and rising sea level. This event will serve to foster a better understanding of risk management as it relates to much of the climate change work currently being undertaken by CPACC.
Presentations will be made by leading scientists on the changes already observed and the risk in the coming decade and beyond of various levels of change and related extreme climate events. Experts from the Private Sector and governments, on applying risk management strategies, will outline the techniques used and their value in addressing climate change risks. Break-out groups will consider risks and response options by sectors: public health and safety, resource management (water, agriculture, marine), insurance and finance, housing and urban planning, disaster mitigation, tourism, and energy.
The workshop is being hosted by CPACC in association with Global Change Strategies International of Ottawa and de Romilly and de Romilly of Halifax, both of whom comprise the ACCC executing agency.
A LARGE contingent of Combermere School students are headed to St Lucia tomorrow to do their School Base Assessments (SBA) in geography. The 75 students have chosen the tiny fishing village of Anse La Raye, about six miles south of the capital Castries, to conduct two river studies and a population study.
Anne Jebodhsingh, who will be leading the delegation, said one study will deal with the pollution of the Anse La Raye River. They will take water samples and analyse these for phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and urea. A second river, the Roseau River, will be the subject of a characterisation study. Students will measure the width, depth, and speed of the channel at three points.
"The idea is to see how the characteristics change towards the mouth of the river," Jebodhsingh explained.
The third study is a demographics profile of the fishing village which was one of those suffering damage during Hurricane Lenny in 1999. The students, who will spend the weekend in St Lucia, will visit the drive-in volcano at Soufriere.
Accompanying the group will be retired principal Doreen Pile who is a geographer. Seven teachers will chaperon the fifth formers who are preparing to sit their CXCs. This work which contributes to the SBA is worth 20 per cent of total exam marks. Coincidentally, the field trip occurs during Combermere School's week of activities.
Education book on swamp's ecosystem
Students studying mangrove swamps in Barbados now have a practical guidebook with prose and exercises to assist them. The book, written for primary school students, describes what is a nature sanctuary, the plants and animals of a swamp, the difference between red and white mangrove trees, the function of mangroves and the importance of mangroves to coral reefs. Separate sections deal with monkeys, mongooses, birds, fish, crabs, reptiles and amphibians - all of which are found at the Graeme Hall Swamp. The British High Commission has funded the cost of publishing the book which was developed by the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, in association with the University of Toronto.